Former West Brook Booster Club President Sentenced for Wire Fraud

BEAUMONT, Texas – A 53-year-old Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for wire fraud violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. attorney John M. Bales.

William Elzy Kelley, Jr., also known as Bo Kelley, pleaded guilty on Apr. 13, 2015, to wire fraud and was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.

According to information presented in court, Kelley was president of the West Brook High School Football Booster Club from 2012 to February 2014. During which time Kelley had access to the Booster Club’s funds, which were kept in separate checking and savings accounts. From Sep. 2013 through Feb. 2014, Kelley withdrew funds from these accounts to pay personal expenses, including, but not limited to rent payments at Stoneleigh Apartments, college tuition, and other household bills. Kelley carried out the scheme by withdrawing cash and depositing it into his personal bank account and by using the debit card and writing checks on the account for his personal use. Kelley is specifically charged with using the Booster Club debit card to make a payment to Stoneleigh Apartments in the amount of $922.42 on Dec. 3, 2013.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Joint Task Force established in March 2014 between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute major crimes – more specifically, violent crime and crimes related to the abuse of public trust in Jefferson County, Texas.

If you have any information related to this or any other matter related to fraud, please call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 409-832-8571.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Beaumont Police Department, and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Batte and Christopher T. Tortorice.